i 40ft - The Eye | Front Page · 2019. 9. 27. · OCCULTISM 9 thegoodhedesires, often without even apparently lifting afinger. Moreover, there isoneimportant fact withwhich thestudent

i V40ft *i*

PRACTIcfACOCCULTISM

and

Occultism versus the Occult Arts

1939THE THEOSOPHICALPUBLISHING HOUSE

Adyar, Madras, India

PRACTICAL OCCULTISM

IMPORTANT TO STUDENTS

HPHERE are many people who are

looking for practical instruction

in Occultism. It becomes necessary,

therefore, to state once for all :

(a) The essential difference be

tween theoretical and practical Oc

cultism ; or what is generally known

as Theosophy on the one hand, and

Occult science on the other, and :

(6) The nature of the difficulties

involved in the study of the latter.

8 PRACTICAL

It is easy to become a Theosophist.

Any person of average intellectual capa

cities, and a leaning toward the meta

physical ; of pure, unselfish life, who

finds more joy in helping his neighbour

than in receiving help himself ; one who

is ever ready to sacrifice his own

pleasures for the sake of other people ;

and who loves Truth, Goodness and

Wisdom for their own sake, not for

the benefit they may confer is a

Theosophist.

But it is quite another matter to put

onself upon the path which leads to the

knowledge of what is good to do, as to

the right discrimination of good from

evil ; a path which also leads a man to

that power through which he can do

OCCULTISM 9

the good he desires, often without even

apparently lifting a finger.

Moreover, there is one important fact

with which the student should be made

acquainted. Namely, the enormous, al

most limitless, responsibility assumed

by the teacher for the sake of the pupil.

From the Gurus of the East who teach

openly or secretly, down to the few

Kabalists in Western lands who under

take to teach the rudiments of the

Sacred Science to their disciples those

Western Hierophants being often them

selves ignorant of the danger they incur

one and all of those"

Teachers "

are

subject to the same inviolable law.

From the moment they begin really to

teach, from the instant they confer any

10 PRACTICAL

power whether psychic, mental or

physical on their pupils, they take

upon themselves all the sins of that

pupil, in connection with the Occult

Sciences, whether of omission or com

mission, until the moment when initia

tion makes the pupil a Master and

responsible in his turn. There is a

weird and mystic religious law, greatly

reverenced and acted upon in the Greek,

half-forgotten in the Roman Catholic,

and absolutely extinct in the Protestant

Church. It dates from the earliest days

of Christianity and has its basis in the

law just stated, of which it was a symbol and an expression. This is the

dogma of the absolute sacredness of the

relation between the god-parents who

OCCULTISM 11

stand sponsors for a child.1 These

tacitly take upon themselves all the

sins of the newly baptized child

(anointed as at the initiation, a mystery

truly !) until the day when the child

becomes a responsible unit, knowing

good and evil. Thus it is clear whythe

"

Teachers "

are so reticent, and

why "Chelas" are required to serve a

seven years probation to prove their

fitness, and develop the qualities neces

sary to the security of both Master and

pupil.

1 So holy is the connection thus formed deemedin the Greek Church, that a marriage betweengod-parents of the same child is regarded as theworst kind of incest, is considered illegal and is

dissolved by laxv ; and this absolute prohibitionextends even to the children of one of the sponsorsas regards those of the other.

12 PRACTICAL

Occultism is not magic. It is com

paratively easy to learn the trick of

spells and the methods of using the

subtler, but still material, forces of

physical nature ; the powers of the

animal soul in man are soon awakened ;

the forces which his love, his hate, his

passion, can call into operation, are

readily developed. But this is Black

Magic Sorcery. For it is the motive,

and the motive alone, which makes an}r

exercise of power become black, malig

nant, or white, beneficent Magic. It is

impossible to employ spiritual forces if

there is the slightest tinge of selfishness

remaining in the operator. For, unless

the intention is entirely unalloyed, the

spiritual will transform itself into the

OCCULTISM 13

psychic, act on the astral plane, and

dire results may be produced by it.

The powers and forces of animal nature

can equally be used by the selfish and

revengeful, as by the unselfish and the

all-forgiving ; the powers and forces of

spirit lend themselves only to the per

fectly pure in heart and this is DIVINE

MAGIC.

What are then the conditions requir

ed to become a student of the"

Divina

Sapientia"

? For let it be known that

no such instruction can possibly be

given unless these certain conditions

are complied with, and rigorously

carried out during the years of study.

This is a sine qua non. No man can

swim unless he enters deep water, No

14 PRACTICAL

bird can fly unless its wings are grown,and it has space before it and courageto trust itself to the air. A man whowill wield a two-edged sword, must bea thorough master of the blunt weapon ,

if he would not injure himself or

what is worse others, at the first

attempt.

To give an approximate idea of the

conditions under which alone the studyof Divine Wisdom can be pursued with

safety, that is, without danger that

Divine will give place to Black Magic, a.

page is given from the"

private rules/"

with which every instructor in the East

is furnished. The few passages which

follow are chosen from a great number

and explained in brackets.

OCCULTISM 15

1. The place selected for receiving

instruction must be a spot calculated

not to distract the mind, and filled

with"

influence-evolving"

(magnetic)

objects. The five sacred colours gather

ed in a circle must be there amongother things. The place must be free

from any malignant influences hanging

about in the air.

[The place must be set apart, and usedfor no other purpose. The five

"

sacred

colours"

are the prismatic hues arrangedin a certain way, as these colours are verymagnetic. By

4

malignant influences"

are

meant any disturbances through strifes,

quarrels, bad feelings, etc., as these are

said to impress themselves immediately onthe astral light, i.e., in the atmosphere of

the place, and to hang"

about in the air."

This first condition seems easy enough to

accomplish, yet on further consideration,

16 PRACTICAL

it is one of the most difficult ones to

obtain.]

2. Before the disciple shall be per

mitted to study"

face to face," he has

to acquire preliminary understanding in

a select company of other lay upasaka

(disciples), the number of whom must

be odd.

["Face to face," means in this instance

a study independent or apart from others,

when the disciple gets his instruction faceto face either with himself (his higher,Divine Self) or his guru. It is then

only that each receives his due of infor

mation, according to the use he has madeof his knowledge. This can happen onlytoward the end of the cycle of instruction.]

3. Before thou (the teacher) shalt

impart to thy Lanoo (disciple) the good

OCCULTISM 17

(holy) words of LAMRIN, or shall

permit him "

to make ready"

for

Dubjed, thou shalt take care that his

mind is thoroughly purified and at

peace with all, especially with Ms other

Selves. Otherwise the words of Wisdom

and of the good Law shall scatter and

be picked up by the winds.

[" Lamrin"

is a work of practical in

structions, by Tson-kha-pa, in two portions,one for ecclesiastical and exoteric purposes,the other for esoteric use.

"

To makeready" for Dubjed, is to prepare the vessels

used for seership, such as mirrors and

crystals. The"

other selves"

refers to

the fellow*students. Unless the greatest

harmony reigns among the learners, nosuccess is possible. It is the teacher whomakes the selections according to the

magnetic and electric natures of the

students, bringing together and adjusting

18 PRACTICAL

most carefully the positive and the

negative elements.]

4. The upasaka while studying must

take care to be united as the ringers on

one hand. Thou shalt impress upontheir minds that whatever hurts one

should hurt the others ; and if the re

joicing of one finds no echo in the

breasts of the others, then the required

conditions are absent, and it is useless

to proceed.

[This can hardly happen if the preliminary choice made was consistent with

the magnetic requirements. It is knownthat chelas otherwise promising and fit for

the reception of truth, had to wait for

years on account of their temper and the

impossibility they felt to put themselves in

tnne with their companions. For ]

OCCULTISM 19

5. The co-disciples must be tuned

by the guru as the strings of a lute

(vina), each different from the others,

yet each emitting sounds in harmonywith all. Collectively they must form

a key-board answering in all its parts to

thy lightest touch (the touch of the

Master). Thus their minds shall open

for the harmonies of Wisdom, to vibrate

as knowledge through each and all,

resulting in effects pleasing to the pre

siding gods (tutelary or patron-angels)

and useful to the Lanoo. So shall

Wisdom be impressed for ever on their

hearts and the harmony of the law shall

never be broken.

6. Those who desire to acquire the

knowledge leading to the Siddhis (occult

20 PRACTICAL

powers) have to renounce all the vani

ties of life and of the world (here fol

lows enumeration of the Siddhis).

7. None can feel the difference be

tween himself and his fellow-students,

such as"

I am the wisest,"

"

I ammore holy and pleasing to the teacher,

or in my community, than my brother,"

etc., and remain an upasaka. His

thoughts must be predominantly fixed

upon his heart, chasing therefrom every

hostile thought to any living being. It

(the heart) must be full of the feeling

of its non-separateness from the rest of

beings as from all in Nature;otherwise

no success can follow.

8. A Lanoo (disciple) has to dread

external living influence alone (magnetic

OCCULTISM 21

emanations from living creatures). For

this reason, while at one with all, in

his inner nature, he must take care to

separate his outer (external) body from

every foreign influence : none must

drink out of, or eat in his cup but him

self. He must avoid bodily contact

(i.e., being touched or touch) with

human, as with animal being.

[No pet animals are permitted, and it is

forbidden even to touch certain trees and

plants. A disciple has to live, so to say,in his own atmosphere in order to in

dividualise it for occult purposes.]

9. The mind must remain blunt to

all but the universal truths in nature,

lest the"

Doctrine of the ,Hp%t tl

should become only the"

D0i^^*olthe Eye

"

(i.e., empty exoteri^/^yalism).

22 PRACTICAL

10. No animal food of whatever kind,

nothing that has life in it, should be

taken by the disciple. No wine, no

spirits or opium should be used ; for

these are like the Lhamaym (evil

spirits), who fasten upon the unwary,

the.} devour the understanding.

[Wine and Spirits are supposed to

contain and preserve the bad magnetism of

all the men who helped in their fabrication ;

the meat of each animal, to preserve the

psychic characteristics of its kind.]

11. Meditation, abstinence, the ob

servation of moral duties, gentle

thoughts, good deeds and kind words,

as goodwill to all and entire oblivion of

Self, are the most efficacious means of

obtaining knowledge and preparing for

the reception of higher wisdom.

OCCULTISM 23

12. It is only by virtue of a strict

observance of the foregoing rules that a

Lanoo can hope to acquire in goodtime the Siddhis of the Arhats, the

growth which makes him become gradu

ally One with the UNIVERSAL ALL.

These 12 extracts are taken from

among some 73 rules, to enumerate

which would be useless as they would be

meaningless in Europe. But even these

few are enough to show the immensity

of the difficulties which beset the path

of the would-be"

Upasaka," who has

been born and bred in Western lands.1

1 Be it remembered that all "Chelas," even

lay disciples, are called Upasaka until after their

first initiation, when they become Lanoo-Upasaka.To that day, even those who belong to Lamaseries

and are set apart, are considered as"

laymen."

24 PRACTICAL

All Western, and especially English,

education is instinct with the principle

of emulation and strife ; each boy is

urged to learn more quickly, to outstrip

his companions, and to surpass them in

every possible way. What is mis-called"

friendly rivalry"

is assiduously culti

vated, and the same spirit is fostered

and strengthened in every detail of life.

With such ideas"

educated into"

him from his childhood, how can a

Western bring himself to feel towards

his co-students"

as the fingers on one

hand "

? Those co-students, too, are

not of his own selection, or chosen byhimself from personal sympathy and

appreciation. They are chosen by his

teacher on far other grounds, and he

OCCULTISM 25

who would be a student must first be

strong enough to kill out in his heart

all feelings of dislike and antipathy to

others. How many Westerns are readyeven to attempt this in earnest ?

And then the details of daily life, the

command not to touch even the hand

of one s nearest and dearest. How-

contrary to Western notions of affection

and good feeling ! How cold and hard

it seems. Egotistical too, people would

say, to abstain from giving pleasure to

others for the sake of one s own

development. Well, let those who think

so defer till another lifetime the attempt

to enter the path in real earnest. But

let them not glory in their own fancied

unselfishness. For, in reality, it is only

26 PRACTICAL

the seeming appearances which they

allow to deceive them, the conventional

notions, based on emotionalism and

gush, or so-called courtesy, things of

the unreal life, not the dictates of

Truth.

But even putting aside these diffi

culties, which may be considered"

ex

ternal," though their importance is

none the less great, how are students

in the West to" attune themselves

"

to harmony as here required of them ?

So strong has personality grown in

Europe and America, that there is no

school of artists even whose members

do not hate and are not jealous of each

other."

Professional" hatred and

envy have become proverbial ; men seek

OCCULTISM 27

each to benefit himself at all costs,

and even the so-called courtesies of life

are but a hollow mask covering these

demons of hatred and jealousy.

In the East the spirit of" non-

separateness"

is inculcated as steadily

from childhood up, as in the West the

spirit of rivalry. Personal ambition,

personal feelings and desires, are not

encouraged to grow so rampant there.

When the soil is naturally good, it is

cultivated in the right way, and the child

grows into a man in whom the habit

of subordination of one s lower to one s

higher Self is strong and powerful.In the West men think that their

own likes and dislikes of other menand things are guiding principles for

28 PRACTICAL

them to act upon, even when they do

not make of them the law of their

lives and seek to impose them uponothers.

Let those who complain that they

have learned little in the Theosophical

Society lay to heart the words written

in an article in the Path for last

February:" The key in each degree is

the aspirant himself." It is not"

the

fear of God " which is"

the beginning

of Wisdom," but the knowledge of

SELF which is WISDOM ITSELF.

How grand and true appears, thus,

to the student of Occultism who has

commenced to realise some of the

foregoing truths, the answer given by

the Delphic Oracle to all who came

OCCULTISM 29

seeking after Occult Wisdom words

repeated and enforced again and again

by the wise Socrates : MAN KNOWTHYSELF. . . .

OCCULTISM VERSUS THE

OCCULT ARTS

"I oft have heard, but ne er believed till now,There are, who can by potent magic spellsBend to their crooked purpose Nature s

laws." MILTON.

TN this month s "Correspondence"

several letters testify to the strong

impression produced on some minds

by our last month s article, Practi

cal Occultism. Such letters go far to

prove and strengthen two logical con

clusions.

(a) There are more well-educated

and thoughtful men who believe in the

existence of Occultism and Magic (the

3

34 OCCULTISM VE

two differing vastly) than the mmaterialist dreams of ; and

(6) That most of the believers

prising many Theosophists) ha

definite idea of the nature of

ism, and confuse it with the (

sciences in general, the"

Black

included.

Their representations of the p

it confers upon man, and of the i

to be used to acquire them, ;

varied as they are fanciful,

imagine that a master in the ;

show the way, is all that is nee<

become a Zanoni. Others, tha

has but to cross the Canal of Sue

go to India to bloom forth as a

Bacon or even a Count St. Gei

THE OCCULT ARTS 35

Many take for their ideal, Margrave with

his ever-renewing youth, and care little

for the soul as the price paid for it. Not

a few, mistaking"

Witch-of-Endor-

ism," pure and simple, for Occultism"

through the yawning Earth from

Stygian gloom, call up the meagre

ghosts to walks oflight,"

and want, on

the strength of this feat, to be regarded

as full-blown Adepts."

Ceremonial

Magic," according to the rules mock

ingly laid down by Eliphas Levi, is

another imagined alter ego of the philo

sophy of the Arhats of old. In short,

the prisms through which Occultism

appears, to those innocent of the philo

sophy, are as multicoloured and varied

as human fancy can make them.

36 OCCULTISM VERSUS

Will these candidates to Wisdom and

Power feel very indignant if told the

plain truth ? It is not only useful, but

it has now become necessary to dis

abuse most of them, and before it is

too late. This truth may be said in- a

few words : There are not in the West

half-a-dozen among the fervent hund

reds who call themselves"

Occultists"

who have even an approximately correct

idea of the nature of the science they

seek to master. With a few exceptions,

they are all on the highway to Sorcery.

Let them restore some order in the

chaos that reigns in their minds before

they protest against this statement. Let

them first learn the true relation in

which the Occult Sciences stand to

THE OCCULT ARTS 37

Occultism, and the difference bet

ween the two, and then feel wrathful

if they still think themselves right.

Meanwhile, let them learn that Occult

ism differs from Magic and other secret

Sciences as the glorious sun does from

a rush-light, as the immutable and im

mortal Spirit of Man the reflection of

the absolute, causeless and unknowable

ALL differs from the mortal clay the

human body.

In our highly civilised West, where

modern languages have been formed,

and words coined, in the wake of ideas

and thoughts as happened with every

tongue the more the latter became

materialised in the cold atmosphere of

Western selfishness and its incessant

38 OCCULTISM VERSUS

chase after the goods of this world, the

less was there any need felt for the

production of new terms to express

that which was tacitly regarded as

absolute and exploded"

superstition."

Such words could answer only to ideas

which a cultured man was scarcely

supposed to harbour in his mind."

Magic," a synonym for jugglery ;

"

Sorcery/ an equivalent for crass

ignorance ; and "

Occultism," the sorry

relic of crack-brained, mediaeval Fire-

philosophers, of the Jacob Boehmes

and the St. Martins, are expressions

believed more than amply sufficient to

cover the wjhole field of"

thimble-

rigging-" They are terms of contempt,

arid used generally only yi reference to

THE OCCULT ARTS 39

the dross and residues of the dark ages

and its preceding aeons of paganism.

Therefore have we no terms in the

English tongue to define and shade

the difference between such abnormal

powers, or the sciences that lead to the

acquisitions of them, with the nicety

possible in the Eastern languages

pre-eminently the Sanskrit. What do

the words "

miracle" and "

enchant

ment "

(words identical in meaningafter all, as both express the idea of

producing wonderful things by breaking

the laws of nature (!!) as explained by

the accepted authorities) convey to the

minds of those who hear, or who pro

nounce them ? A Christian"

breaking

of the laws of nature"

notwithstanding

40 OCCULTISM VERSUS

while believing firmly in the miracles,

because said to have been produced byGod through Moses, will either scout

the enchantments performed by Pha

raoh s magicians, or attribute them to

the devil. It is the latter whom our

pious enemies connect with Occultism,

while their impious foes, the infidels,

laugh at Moses, Magicians, and Occult

ists, and would blush to give one

serious thought to such"

superstitions."

This, because there is no term in exist

ence to show the difference ;no words

to express the lights and shadows, and

draw the line of demarcation between

the sublime and the true, the absurd

and the ridiculous. The latter are the

theological interpretations which teach

THE OCCULT ARTS 41

the"

breaking of the laws of Nature "

by man, God, or devil ; the former the

scientific"

miracles" and enchantments

of Moses and the Magicians in accor

dance with natural laws, both having

been learned in all the Wisdom of the

Sanctuaries, which were the"

Royal

Societies"

of those days and in true

OCCULTISM. This last word is

certainly misleading, translated as it

stands from the compound word Gupta-

Vidya,"

Secret Knowledge." But the

knowledge of what ? Some of the

Sanskrit terms may help us.

There are four (out of the manyother) names of the various kinds of

Esoteric Knowledge or Sciences given,

even in the exoteric Puranas. There is

42 OCCULTISM VERSUS

(1) Yajna-Vidya,1

knowledge of the

occult powers awakened in nature bythe performance of certain religious

ceremonies and rites. (2) Mahavidya,

1"The Yajna," say the Brahmans, "exists

from eternity, for it proceeded forth from the

Supreme One ... in whom it lay dormant fromno beginning. It is the key to the TRAIVIDYA,

the thrice sacred science contained in the Rigverses, which teaches the Yagus or sacrificial

mysteries. The Yajna exists as an invisible

thing at all times ; it is like the latent power of

electricity in an electrifying machine, requiringonly the operation of a suitable apparatus in

order to be elicited. It is supposed to extendfrom the Ahayaniya or sacrificial fire to the

heavens, forming a bridge or ladder by means of

which the sacrificer can communicate with the

world of gods and spirits, and even ascend whenalive to their abodes." Martin Haug s AitareyaBrahmana.

1

This Yajna is again one of the forms of theAkasa ; and the mystic word calling it into existence and pronounced mentally by the initiated

Priest is the Lost Word receiving impulse throughWILL POWER."

"

Isis Unveiled," vol. i, Intr.

See Aitareya Brahmana, Haug,

THE OCCULT ARTS 43

the"

great knowledge," the magic of

the Kabalists and of the Tantrika

worship, often Sorcery of the worst

description. (3) Guhya-Vidya, know

ledge of the mystic powers residing in

Sound (Ether), hence in the Mantras

(chanted prayers or incantations), and

depending on the rhythm and melody

used ; in other words, a magical per

formance based on knowledge of the

Forces of Nature and their correlation ;

and (4) ATMA-VIDYA, a term which is

translated simply"

Knowledge of the

Soul," true Wisdom by the Orientalists,

but which means far more.

This last is the only kind of Occult

ism that any Theosophist who admires"

Light on the Path/ and who would

44 OCCULTISM VERSUS

be wise and unselfish, ought to strive

after. All the rest is some branch of

the"

Occult Sciences," i.e., arts based

on the knowledge of the ultimate es

sence of all things in the Kingdoms of

Nature such as minerals, plants and

animals hence of things pertaining

to the realm of material nature, how

ever invisible that essence may be, and

howsoever much it has hitherto eluded

the grasp of Science. Alchemy, Astro

logy, Occult Physiology, Chiromancy,

exist in Nature, and the exact Sciences

perhaps so called, because they are

found in this age of paradoxical philo

sophies the reverse have already dis

covered not a few of the above

arts. But clairvoyance, symbolised in

THE OCCULT ARTS 45

India as the."

Eye of Siva," called in

Japan,"

Infinite Vision," is not Hypnotism, the illegitimate son of Mesmerism,

and is not to be acquired by such arts.

All the others may be mastered and

results obtained, whether good, bad,

or indifferent; but Atma-Vidya sets

small value on them. It includes them

all and may even use them occasionally,

but it does so after purifying them of

their dross, for beneficent purposes, and

taking care to deprive them of every

element of selfish motive. Let us ex

plain : Any man or woman can set

himself or herself to study one or all of

the above specified"

Occult Arts"

without any great previous preparation,

and even without adopting any tod

46 OCCULTISM VERSUS

restraining mode of life. One could

even dispense with any lofty standard

of morality. In the last case, of course,

ten to one the student would blossom

into a very decent kind of sorcerer, and

tumble down headlong into black

magic. But what can this matter ?

The Voodoos and the Dugpas eat,

drink, and are merry over hecatombs

of victims of their infernal arts. And

so do the amiable gentlemen vivisec-

tionists and the diploma-ed"

Hypno-tisers

"

of the Faculties of Medicine ;

the only difference between the two

classes being that the Voodoos and

Dugpas are conscious^ and the Charcot-

Richet crew unconscious, Sorcerers.

Thus, since both have to reap the

THE OCCULT ARTS 47

fruits of their labours and achievements

in the black art, the Western practi

tioners should not have the punishment

and reputation without the profits and

enjoyments they may get therefrom. For

we say it again, hypnotism and vivisec

tion as practised in such Schools, are

Sorcery pure and simple, minus a knowl

edge that the Voodoos and Dugpas en

joy, and which no Charcot-Richet can

procure for himself in fifty years of

hard study and experimental observa

tion. Let, then, those who will dabble

in magic, whether they understand its

nature or not, but who find the rules

imposed upon students too hard, and

who, therefore, lay Atma-Vidya or

Occultism aside go without it. Let

48 OCCULT VERSUS

them become magicians by all means,

even though they do become Voodoos

and Dugpas for the next ten incar

nations.

But the interest of our readers will

probably centre on those who are in

vincibly attracted towards the"

Occult,"

yet who neither realise the true nature

of what they aspire towards, nor have

they become, passion-proof, far less,

truly unselfish.

How about these unfortunates, we

shall be asked, who are thus rent in

twain by conflicting forces ? For it has

been said too often to need repetition,

and the fact itself is patent to any

observer, that when once the desire for

Occultism has really .awakened in a

THE OCCULT ARTS 49

man s heart, there remains for him no

hope of peace, no place of rest and

comfort in all the world. He is driven

out into the wild and desolate spaces

of life by an ever-gnawing unrest he

cannot quell. His heart is too full of

passion and selfish desire to permit him

to pass the Golden Gate ; he cannot

find rest or peace in ordinary life.

Must he then inevitably fall into sorcery

and black magic, and through many in

carnations heap up for himself a terrible

Karma ? Is there no other road for

him ?

Indeed there is, we answer. Let him

aspire to no higher than he feels able

to accomplish. Let him not take a

burden upon himself too heavy for him4

SO OCCULTISM VERSUS

to carry. Without ever becoming a61

Mahatma," a Buddha or a Great

Saint, let him study the philosophy and

the"

Science of Soul/ and he can be

come one of the modest benefactors of

humanity, without any"

superhuman"

powers. Siddhis (or the Arhat powers)

are only for those who are able to

"

lead the life, to comply with the

terrible sacrifices required for such a

training, and to comply with them to

the very letter. Let them know at once

and remember always, that true Occult

ism or Theosophy is the"

Great Re

nunciation of SELF," unconditionally

and absolutely, in thought as in action.

It is ALTRUISM, and it throws him who

practises it out of calculation of the

THE OCCULT ARTS 51

ranks of the living altogether." Not

for himself, but for the world, he lives,"

as soon as he has pledged himself to

the work. Much is forgiven during the

first years of probation. But no sooner

is he"

accepted" than his personality

must disappear, and he has to become

a mere beneficent force in Natiire.

There are two poles for him after that,

two paths, and no midward place of

rest. He has either to ascend laborious

ly, step by step, often through numer

ous incarnations and no Devachanic

break, the golden ladder leading to

Mahatmaship (theArhat*

condition), or he will let

down the ladder at the first fa^se step,

and roll down into Dugpash^.^. * .. ,

.: g6*1

52 OCCULTISM VERSUS

All this is either unknown or left out

of sight altogether. Indeed, one who

is able to follow the silent evolution of

the preliminary aspirations of the candi

dates often finds strange ideas quietly

taking possession of their minds. There

are those whose reasoning powers have

been so distorted by foreign influences

that they imagine that animal passions

can be so sublimated and elevated that

their fury, force, and fire can, so to

speak, be turned inwards ; that they

can be stored and shut up in one s

breast, until their energy is, not ex

panded, but turned toward higher and

more holy purposes : namely, until their

collective and unexpanded strength

enables their possessor to enter the true

THE OCCULT ARTS 53

Sanctuary of the Soul and stand therein

in the presence of the Master the

HIGHER SELF. For this purpose they

will not struggle with their passions

nor slay them. They will simply, by a

strong effort of will, put down the fierce

flames and keep them at bay within

their natures, allowing the fire to

smoulder under a thin layer of ashes.

They submit joyfully to the torture of

of the Spartan boy who allowed the fox

to devour his entrails rather than part

with it. Oh, poor blind visionaries !

As well hope that a band of drunken

chimney-sweeps, hot and greasy from

their work, may be shut up in a Sanctu

ary hung with pure white linen, and

that instead of soiling and turning it by

54 OCCULTISM VERSUS

their presence into a heap of dirty

shreds, they will become masters in and

of the sacred recess, and finally emergefrom it as immaculate as that recess.

Why not imagine that a dozen of

skunks imprisoned in the pure atmos

phere of a Dgon-pa (a monastery) can

issue out of it impregnated with all the

perfumes of the incenses used ? . . .

Strange aberration of the human mind.

Can it be so ? Let us argue.

The "Master" in the Sanctuary of

our souls is"

the Higher Self"

the

divine spirit whose consciousness is

based upon and derived solely (at anyrate during the mortal life of the manin whom it is captive) from the Mind,

which we have agreed to call the Human

THE OCCULT ARTS 55

Soul (the"

Spiritual Soul"

being the

vehicle of the Spirit). In its turn the

former (the personal or human soul)

is a compound, in its highest form, of

spiritual aspirations, volitions, and

divine love ; and in its lower aspect, of

animal desires and terrestrial passions

imparted to it by its associations with

its vehicle, the seat of all these. It

thus stands as a link and a medium be

tween the animal nature of man which

its higher reason seeks to subdue, and

his divine spiritual nature to which it

gravitates, whenever it has the upper

hand in its struggle with the inner

animal. The latter is the instinctual

" animal Soul," and is the hotbed of

those passions which, as just shown,

56 OCCULTISM VERSUS

are lulled instead of being killed, and

locked up in their breasts by some im

prudent enthusiasts. Do they still hopeto turn thereby the muddy stream of

the animal sewer into the crystalline

waters of life ? And where, on what

neutral ground, can they be imprisoned

so as not to affect man ? The fierce

passions of love and lust are still

alive, and they are allowed to still

remain in the place of their birth that

same animal soul ; for both the higher

and the lower portions of the" Human

Soul "

or Mind reject such inmates,

though they cannot avoid being tainted

with them as neighbours. The "

Higher Self

"

or Spirit is as unable to

Assimilate such feelings as water to get

THE OCCULT ARTS 57

mixed with oil or unclean liquid tallow.

It is thus the mind alone the sole link

and medium between the man of earth

and the Higher Self that is the only

sufferer, and which is in incessant

danger of being dragged down by those

passions that may be reawakened at

any moment, and perish in the abyss

of matter. And how can it ever attune

itself to the divine harmony of the

highest Principle, when that harmonyis destroyed by the mere presence,

within the Sanctuary in preparation, of

such animal passions ? How can har

mony prevail and conquer, when the

soul is stained and distracted with the

turmoil of passions and the terrestrial

58 OCCULTISM VERSUS

desires of the bodily senses, or even of

the "Astral man" ?

For this"

Astral"

the shadowy61double

"

(in the animal as in man) is

not the companion of the divine Egobut of the earthly body. It is the link

between the personal SELF, the lower

consciousness of Manas and the Body,

and is the vehicle of transitory, not of

immortal life. Like the shadow pro

jected by man, it follows his move

ments and impulses slavishly and

mechanically, and leans therefore to

matter without ever ascending to Spirit.

It is only when the power of the pas

sions is dead altogether, and when they

have been crushed and annihilated in

the retort of an unflinching will;when

THE OCCULT ARTS 59

not only all the lusts and longings of

the flesh are dead, but also the recogni

tion of the personal Self is killed out

and the"

Astral" has been reduced in

consequence to a cipher, that the Union

with the"

Higher Self" can take place.

Then when the"

Astral"

reflects only

the conquered man, the still living but

no more the longing, selfish personal

ity, then the brilliant Augoeides, the

divine SELF, can vibrate in con

scious harmony with both the poles

of the human Entity the man of

matter purified, and the ever pure

Spiritual Soul and stand in the

presence of the MASTER SELF, the

Christos of the mystic Gnostic, blended,

60 OCCULTISM VERSUS

merged into, and one with IT for

ever. 1

How, then, can it be thought possi

ble for a man to enter the"

strait

gate"

of occultism when his daily and

hourly thoughts are bound up with

worldly things, desires of possession

and power, with lust, ambition, and

duties which, however honourable, are

still of the earth earthy ? Even the

love for wife and family the purest

1 Those who would feel inclined to see three

Egos in one man will show themselves unable to

perceive the metaphysical meaning. Man is a

trinity composed of Body, Soul, and Spirit ; butman is nevertheless one, and is surely not his

body. It is the latter which is the property, the

transitory clothing of the man. The three

Egos are MAN in his three aspects on the

astral, intellectual or psychic, and the Spiritual

THE OCCULT ARTS ei

as the most unselfish of human affec

tions is a barrier to real occultism.

For whether we take as an example

the holy love of a mother for her child,

or that of a husband for his wife, even

in these feelings, when analysed to the

very bottom, and thoroughly sifted,

there is still selfishness in the first, and

an egoisme a deux in the second in

stance. What mother would not sacri

fice without a moment s hesitation

hundreds and thousands of lives for

that of the child of her heart? and

what lover or true husband would not

break the happiness of every other manand woman around him to satisfy the

desire of one whom he loves ? This is

but natural, we shall be told. Quite

62 OCCULTISM VERSUS

so, in the light of the code of human

affections ; less so, in that of divine

universal love. For, while the heart is

full of thoughts for a little group of

selves, near and dear to us, how shall

the rest of mankind fare in our souls ?

What percentage of love and care will

there remain to bestow on the"

great

orphan"

? And how shall the"

still

small voice" make itself heard in a

soul entirely occupied with its own

privileged tenants ? What room is there

left for the needs of Humanity en bloc

to impress themselves upon, or even

receive a speedy response ? And yet, he

who would profit by the wisdom of

the universal mind, has to reach it

through the whole of Humanity without

THE OCCULT ARTS 63

distinction of race, complexion, religion,

or social status. It is altruism, not

ego-ism even in its most legal and noble

conception, that can lead the unit to

merge its little Self in the Universal

Selves. It is to these needs and to this

work that the true disciple of true

Occultism has to devote himself if he

would obtain &eo-sophy, divine Wisdom and Knowledge.

The aspirant has to choose absolutely

between the life of the world and the

life of occultism. It is useless and vain

to endeavour to unite the two, for no

one can serve two masters and satisfy

both. No one can serve his body and the

higher Soul, and do his family duty and

his universal duty, without depriving

64 OCCULTISM VERSUS

either one or the other of its rights ;

for he will either lend his ear to the"

still small voice" and fail to hear the

cries of his little ones, or, he will listen

but to the wants of the latter and

remain deaf to the voice of Humanity.It would be a ceaseless, a madderiing

struggle for almost any married man,

who would pursue true practical Occult

ism, instead of its theoretical philo

sophy. For he would find himself ever

hesitating between the voice of the im

personal divine love of Humanity, and

that of the personal, terrestrial love.

And this could only lead him to fail in

one or the other, or perhaps in both his

duties. Worse than this. For, whoever

indulges, after having pledged himself

THE OCCULT ARTS 65

to OCCULTISM, in the gratification of

a terrestrial love or htst, must feel an

almost immediate result that of being

irresistibly dragged from the impersonal

divine state down to the lower plane of

matter. Sensual, or even mental, self-

gratification involves the immediate loss

of the powers of spiritual discernment ;

the voice of the MASTER can no longer

be distinguished from that of one s pas

sions, or even that of a Dugpa ; the

right from wrong ; sound morality from

mere casuistry. The Dead Sea fruit

assumes the most glorious mystic ap

pearance, only to turn to ashes on the

lips, and to gall in the heart, resulting in :

"Depth ever deepening, darkness

darkening still ;

66 OCCULTISM VERSUS

Folly for wisdom, guilt for innocence;

Anguish for rapture, and for hopedespair."

And once being mistaken and having

acted on their mistakes, most men

shrink from realising their error, and

thus descend deeper and deeper into the

mire. And, although it is the intention

that decides primarily whether white or

black magic is exercised, yet the results

even of involuntary, unconscious sor

cery cannot fail to be productive of bad

Karma. Enough has been said to show

that sorcery is any kind of evil influ

ence exercised upon other persons, who

suffer, or make other persons suffer, in

consequence. Karma is a heavy stone

splashed in the quiet waters of Life;

THE OCCULT ARTS 67

and it must produce ever widening cir

cles of ripples, carried wider and wider,

almost ad infinitum. Such causes pro

duced have to call forth effects and

these are evidenced in the just laws of

Retribution.

Much of this may be avoided if

people will only abstain from rushing

into practices neither the nature nor

importance of which they understand.

No one is expected to carry a burden

beyond his strength and powers. There

are"

natural born magicians"

; Mystics

and Occultists by birth, and by right of

direct inheritance from a series of in

carnations and aeons of suffering and

failures. These are passion-proof, so

to say. No fires of earthly origin can

68 OCCULTISM VERSUS

fan into a flame any of their senses or

desires ; no human voice can find res

ponse in their souls, except the great

cry of Humanity. These only may be

certain of success. But they can be

met only far and wide, and they pass

through the narrow gates of Occultism

because they carry no personal luggage

of human transitory sentiments along

with them. They have got rid of the

feeling of the lower personality, para

lysed thereby the"

astral"

animal, and

the golden, but narrow gate is thrown

open before them. Not so with those

who have to carry yet for several incar

nations the burden of sins committed

in previous lives, and even in their pre

sent existence. For such, unless they

THE OCCULT ARTS 69

proceed with great caution, the golden

gate of Wisdom may get transformed

into the wide gate and the broad way"that leadeth unto destruction," and

therefore"

many be they that enter in

thereby." This is the Gate of the

Occult arts, practised for selfish motives

and , in the absence of the restraining

and beneficent influence of ATMA-

VIDYA. We are in the Kali Yuga and

its fatal influence is a thousandfold

more powerful in the West than it is in

the East ; hence the easy preys made

by the Powers of the Age of Darkness

in this cyclic struggle, and the manydelusions under which the world is now

labouring. One of these is the relative

facility with which men fancy they can

70 OCCULTISM VERSUS

get at the"

Gate " and cross the thresh

old of Occultism without any great

sacrifice. It is the* dream of most

Theosophists, one inspired by desire for

power and personal selfishness, and it is

not such feelings that can ever lead

them to the coveted goal. For, as well

said by one believed to have sacrificed

himself for Humanity"

narrow is the

gate and straitened the way that leadeth

unto life"

eternal, and therefore" few

be they that find it." So strait indeed,

that at the bare mention of some of the

preliminary difficulties the affrighted

Western candidates turn back and

retreat with a shudder. . . .

Let them stop here and attempt no

more in their great weakness. For if

THE OCCULT ARTS 71

while turning their backs on the

narrow gate, they are dragged by their

desire for the Occult one step in the

direction of the broad and more inviting

Gates of that golden mystery which

glitters in the light of illusion, woe to

them ! It can lead only to Dugpaship,

and they will be sure to find themselves

very soon landed on that Via Fatah

of the Inferno, over whose portal Dante

read the words :

Per tne si va nella citta dolente

Per me si va neW eterno dolore

Per me si va tra laperduta genie. . ."

SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR DAILY LIFE

PREFACE

THE quotations of which the following

article is composed were not originally

extracted with a view to publication,

and may therefore appear somewhat

disjointed.

They were first published as a Theo-

sophical Sifting, in the hope that read

ers might take the hint, and make daily

books of extracts for themselves, thus

preserving a lasting record of the books

read, and rendering their reading of

practical value. By following this plan,

the reader would concentrate in a brief

76 PREFACE

space whatever has appealed to him as

being the essence of the book.

The plan of reading a set of quota

tions each morning, trying to live up to

them during the day, and meditating

upon them in leisure moments, is also

suggested as helpful to the earnest

student.

O ISE early, as soon as you are

awake, without lying idly in bed,

half-waking and half-dreaming. Then

earnestly pray that all mankind may be

spiritually regenerated, that those whoare struggling on the path of truth maybe encouraged by your prayers and

work more earnestly and successfully,

and that you may be strengthened and

not yield to the seductions of the

senses. Picture before your mind the

form of your Master as engaged in

Samadhi, Fix it before you, fill in all

78 SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS

the details, think of him with rever

ence, and pray that all mistakes of

omission and commission may be for

given. This will greatly facilitate con

centration, purify your heart, and do

much more. Or reflect upon the

defects of your character : thoroughly

realise their evils and the transient

pleasures they give you, and firmly will

that you shall try your best not to yield

to them the next time. This self-

analysis and bringing yourself before

the bar of your own conscience facili

tates, in a degree hitherto undreamt of,

your spiritual progress. When you

bathe, exercise during the whole time

your will, that your moral impurities

should be washed away with those of

FOR DAILY LIFE 79

your body. In your relations with

others observe the following rules.

1. Never do anything which you are not

bound to do as your duty ; that is, any

unnecessary thing. Before you do a

thing, think whether it is your duty to

do it. 2. Never speak an unnecessary

word. Think of the effects your words

might produce before you give utter

ance to them. Never allow yourself to

violate your principles by the force of

your company. 3. Never allow any

unnecessary or vain thought to occupy

your mind. This is more easily said

than done. You cannot make your

mind a blank all at once. So in the

beginning try to prevent evil or idle

thoughts by occupying your mind with


the analysis of your own faults, or the

contemplation of the Perfect Ones.

4. During meals exercise your will, that

your food should be properly digested

and build for you a body in harmonywith your spiritual aspirations, and not

create evil passion and wicked thoughts.

Eat only when you are hungry and

drink when you are thirsty, and never

otherwise. If some particular prepara

tion attracts your palate, do not allow

yourself to be seduced into taking it

simply to gratify that craving. Remember that the pleasure you derive from

it had no existence some seconds be

fore, and that it will cease to exist

some seconds afterwards ; that it is a

transient pleasure ?that that which is a

FOR DAILY LIFE 81

pleasure now will turn into pain if you

take it in large quantities ; that it gives

pleasure only to the tongue^ that if you

are put to a great trouble to get that

thing, and if you allow yourself to be

seduced by it, you will not be ashamed

at any thing to get it ; that while there

is another object that can give you

eternal bliss, this centering your affec

tions on a transient thing is sheer folly ;

that you are neither the body nor the

sense, and therefore the pleasure and

the pains which these endure can never

affect you really, and so on. Practise

the same train of reasoning in the case

of every other temptation, and, though

you will often fail, yet you will achieve

a surer success. Do not read much. If

a


you read for ten minutes, reflect for as

many hours. Habituate yourself to

solitude, and to remaining alone with

your thoughts.

Accustom yourself to the thought that

no one beside yourself can assist you,

and wean away your affections from all

things gradually. Before you sleep, pray

as you did in the morning. Review the

actions of the day, and see wherein youhave failed, and resolve that you will

not fail in them to-morrow.1

II

THE right motive for seeking self-

knowledge is that which pertains to

1

Theosophist, August 89, p. 647.

FOR DAILY LIFE 83

knowledge and not to self. Self

-knowledge is worth seeking by virtue

of its being knowledge, and not byvirtue of its pertaining to self. The

main requisite for acquiring self-know

ledge is pure love. Seek knowledge for

pure love, and self-knowledge eventually

crowns the effort. The fact of a student

growing impatient is proof positive that

he works for reward, and not for love,

and that, in its turn proves that he

does not deserve the great victory in

store for those who really work for

pure love. 1

The "God" in us that is to say,

the Spirit of Love and Truth, Justice

and Wisdom, Goodness and Power

1

Theosophist, August 89, p. 663,


should be our only true and permanent

Love, our only reliance in everything,

our only Fa4th, which, standing firm

as a rock, can for ever be trusted; our

only Hope, which will never fail us if

all other things perish ; and the only

object which we must seek to obtain,

by our Patience, waiting contentedly

until our evil Karma has been exhausted

and the divine Redeemer will reveal to

us his presence within our soul. The

door through which he enters is called

Contentment ; for he who is disconten

ted with himself is discontented with

the law that made him such as he is ;

and as God is Himself the Law, God will

not come to those that are discontented

FOR DAILY LIFE 8B

with Him. 1

If we admit that we are in

the stream of evolution, then each

circumstance must be to us quite right.

And in our failure to perform set acts

should be our greatest help, for we can

in no other way learn that calmness

which Krishna insists upon. If all our

plans succeeded, then no contrasts

would appear to us. Also those plans

we make may all be made ignorantly,

and thus wrongly, and kind Nature will

not permit us to carry them out. Weget no blame for the plan, but we may

acquire karmic demerit by not accept

ing the impossibility of achieving. If

you are at all cast down, then by just

1

Theosophical Siftings No. 8, vol. ii, p. 9,

Hartmann.


that much are your thoughts lessened in

power. One could be confined in a

prison and yet be a worker for the cause.

So I pray you to remove from your

mind any distaste for present circum

stances. If you can succeed in looking

at it all as just what you in fact desir

ed,1 then it will act not only as a

strengthener of your thoughts, but will

act reflexly on your body and make it

stronger.2

To act and act wisely when the time

for action comes, to wait and wait

patiently when it is time for repose,

put man in accord with the rising and

1<f

yow" meaning the Higher Self. We areas we make ourselves.

2Path, August 89, p. 131.

)AILY LIFE 87

tides (of affairs), so that with

and law at his back, and truth

sneficence as his beacon light, he

:complish wonders. Ignorance of

,w results in periods of unreason-

thusiasm on the one hand, and

sion and even despair on the

Man thus becomes the victim

tides when he should be their

. i

e patience, Candidate, as one who

LO failure, courts no success.2

umulated energy cannot be an

ted, it must be transferred to

forms, or be transformed into

modes of motion ; it cannot

h, July 89, p. 107.

ce of the Silence, p. 31.


remain for ever inactive and yet continue

to exist. It is useless to attempt to

resist a passion which we cannot con

trol. If its accumulating energy is not

led into other channels, it will growuntil it becomes stronger than will, and

stronger than reason. To control it,

you must lead it into another and

higher channel. Thus a love for some

thing vulgar may be changed by turning

it into a love for something high, and

vice may be changed into virtue by

changing its aim-. Passion is blind, it

goes where it is led, and reason is a

safer guide for it than the instinct.

Stored up anger (or love) will find

some object upon which to spend its

fury, else it may produce an explosion

FOR DAILY LIFE 89

destructive to its possessor ; tranquillity

follows a storm. The ancients said that

nature suffers no vacuum. We cannot

destroy or annihilate a passion. If it is

driven away, another elemental influ

ence will take its place. We should

therefore not attempt to destroy the

low without putting something in its

place, but we should displace the low

by the high ; vice by virtue, and super

stition by knowledge.1

Ill

LEARN that there is no cure for desire,

no cure for the love of reward, no cure

for the misery of longing, save in the

1

Magic, p. 126, Hartmann.


fixing of the sight and hearing on that

which is invisible and soundless.1

A man must believe in his innate

power of progress. A man must refuse

to be terrified by his greater nature,

and must not be drawn back by his

lesser or material self.2

All the past shows us that difficulty

is no excuse for dejection, much less

for despair, else the world would have

been without the many wonders of

civilisation.3

Strength to step forward is the pri

mary need of him who has chosen his

path. Where is this to be found ?

1

Light on the Path, Karma, p. 35.

2Comments, Light on the Path.

3Through the Gates of Gold, p. 69.

FOR DAILY LIFE 91

Looking round, it is not hard to see

where other men find their strength.

Its source is profound conviction.1

Abstain because it is right to ab

stain, not that yourself shall be kept

clean.2

The man who wars against himself

and wins the battle can do it only when

he knows that in that war he is

doing the one thing which is worth

doing."

Resist not evil," that is, do not

complain of or feel anger against the

inevitable disagreeables of life. Forget

yourself (in working for others). If men*

1Op. cit. p. 87,

2Light on the Path.

aThrough the Gates of Gold, p. 118.


revile, persecute, or wrong one, whyresist ? In the resistance we create

greater evils.1

The immediate work, whatever it

may be, has the abstract claim of duty,

and its relative importance or non-im

portance is not to be considered at all.2

The best remedy for evil is not the

suppression, but the elimination of

desire, and this can best be accomplish

ed by keeping the mind constantly

steeped in things divine. The know

ledge of the Higher Self is snatched

away by engaging the mind in brooding

over or contemplating with pleasure the

1 Path, August 87, p. 151.

2Lucifer, Feb. 88, p. 478.

FOR DAILY LIFE 93

objects which correspond to the unruly

sense.1

Our own nature is so base, proud,

ambitious, and so full of its own ap

petites, judgments, and opinions, that

if temptations restrained it not, it would

be undone without remedy ; therefore

are we tempted to the end that we mayknow ourselves and be humble. Knowthat the greatest temptation is to be

without temptation, wherefore be glad

when it assaults thee, and with resig

nation, peace, and constancy resist it/

Feel that you have nothing to do for

yourself, but that certain charges are

1

Page 60, Bhagavad Gita. (All quotations are

taken from Mohini s translation.)

2Molinos, Spiritual Guide.


laid upon you by the Deity, which youmust fulfil. Desire God, and not any

thing that he can give.1 Whatever

there is to do, has to be done, but not

for the sake of enjoying the fruit of

action.2

If all one s acts are performed

with the full conviction that they are

of no value to the actor, but are to be

done simply because they have to be

done in other words, because it is in

our nature to act then the personality

of egotism in us will grow weaker and

weaker until it comes to rest, per

mitting the knowledge revealing the

True Self to shine out in all its

splendour.

1 P. 182, Bhagavad Gita.

9Introduction, Bhagavad Gita.

FOR DAILY LIFE 95

One must not allow joy or pain to

shake one from one s fixed purpose.1

Until the master chooses you to come

to him, be with humanity, and unsel

fishly work for its progress and advance

ment. This alone can bring true

satisfaction;2

Knowledge increases in proportion

to its use that is, the more we teach

the more we learn. Therefore, Seeker

after Truth, with the faith of a little

child and the will of an Initiate,

give of your store to him who hath not

wherewithal to comfort him on his

journey.3

1 Comments, Light on the Path.2Path, December 86, p. 279.

96 SOME PRACTICAL SUGGEST]

A disciple must fully recognise

the very thought of individual rig!

only the outcome of the veno

quality of the snake of Self. Henever regard another man as a p

who can be criticised or conder

nor may he raise his voice in

defence or excuse. 1

No man is your enemy, no n

friend. All alike are your teat

One must no longer work for the

of any benefit, temporal or spii

but to fulfil the law of being wh

the righteous will of God. 3

1

Lucifer, p. 382, Jan. 88.

2Light on the Path. p. 25.

3Bhagavad Gita, Introduction,

FOR DAILY LIFE 97

IV

LIVE neither in the present nor the

future, but in the eternal. The giant

weed (of evil) cannot flower there ; this

blot upon existence is wiped out by the

very atmosphere of eternal thought.1

Purity of heart is a necessary condition

for the attainment of"

Knowledge of

theSpirit." There are two principal

means by which this purification maybe attained. First, drive away persis

tently every bad thought ; secondly,

preserve an even mind under all condi

tions, never be agitated or irritated at

anything. It will be found that these

twro means of purification are best pro-

1

Light on the Path, Rule 4.

7


moted by devotion and charity. Wemust not sit idle and make no attempt

to advance because we do not feel our

selves pure. Let everyone aspire, and

let them work in right earnest, but they

must work in the right way, and the first

step of that way is to purify the heart.1

The mind requires purification when

ever anger is felt or a falsehood is

told, or the faults of another needlessly

disclosed ; whenever anything is said or

done for the purpose of flattery, or any

one is deceived by the insincerity of a

speech or an act.2

Those who wish for salvation ought

to avoid lust, anger and greed, and

1

Theosophist, Oct. 88, p. 44.

2 Bhagavad Gita, p. 325.

FOR DAILY LIFE 9

cultivate courageous obedience to the

Scriptures, study of Spiritual philo

sophy, and perseverance in its practical

realisation.1

He who is led by selfish considera

tions cannot enter a heaven where per

sonal considerations do not exist. Hewho does not care for Heaven, but is

contented where he is, is already in

Heaven, while the discontented will in

vain clamour for it. To be without

personal desires is to be free and happy,and " Heaven "

can mean nothing else

but a state in which freedom and happiness exist. The man who performsbeneficial acts induced by a hope of

reward is not happy unless the reward1

Bhagavad Gita, p. 240, -


is obtained, and if his reward is ob

tained his happiness ends. There can

be no permanent rest and happiness as

long as there is some work to be

done, and not accomplished, and the

fulfilment of duties brings its own

reward.1

He who thinks himself holier than

another, he who has any pride in his

own exemption from vice or folly, he

who believes himself wise, or in any

way superior to his fellow-men, is in

capable of discipleship. A man must

become as a little child before he can

enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Virtue

and wisdom are sublime things, but if

1

Magic, Intro., p. 34, Hartniann.

FOR DAILY LIFE 101

they create pride and a consciousness

of separateness from the rest of

humanity, they are only the snakes of

self reappearing in a finer form. The

sacrifice or surrender of the heart of

man and its emotions is the first of the

rules ; it involves"

the attaining of an

equilibrium which cannot be shaken

by personal emotion." Put, without

delay, your good intentions into prac

tice, never leaving a single one to

remain only an intention. Our only

true course is to let the motive

for action be in the action itself,

never in its reward ; not to be

incited to action by the hope of the

result, nor yet indulge a propensity to

inertness.


Through faith1 the heart is purified

from passion and folly ; from that

comes mastery over the body, and, last

of all, subjugation of the senses.2

The characteristics of the illuminated

sage are, 1st, he is free from all desires,3

and knows that the true Ego or

Supreme, Spirit alone is bliss, all else is

pain. 2nd, that he is free from attach

ment and repulsion towards whatever

may befall him, and that he acts with

out determination. Lastly comes the

subjugation of the senses, which is

useless, and frequently injurious as

1i.e., knowledge, and this comes by the practice

or unselfishness and kindness.

* P. 95, Bhagavad Gita.3 This can best be accomplished by keeping the

nijnd constantly steeped in things divine,

FOR DAILY LIFE 103

breeding hypocrisy and spiritual pride,

without the second, and that again is

not of much use without the first.1

He who does not practise altruism,

he who is not prepared to share his

last morsel 2 with a weaker or poorer

than himself, he who neglects to help

his brother man, of whatever race,

nation, or creed, wherever and whenever

he meets suffering, and who turns a

deaf ear to the cry of human misery ;

he who hears an innocent person

slandered, and does not undertake his

defence as he would undertake his

own, is no Theosophist.

1 P. 61, -Bhagavad Gita.

- This must be taken in its widest sense also,

i.e,, spiritual knowledge, etg.


V

No man does right who gives up the

unmistakable duties of life, resting on

Divine command. He who performs

duties, thinking that if they are not

performed some evil will come to him,

or that their performance will remove

difficulties from his path, works for

result. Duties should simply be done

because commanded by God, who mayat any time command their abandon

ment. So long as the restlessness of

our nature is not reduced to tranquillity

we must work, consecrating to the

Deity all fruit of our action, and

attribute to Him the power to perform

works rightly. The true life of man is

FOR DAILY LIFE 105

rest in identity with the Supreme Spirit.

This life is not brought into ex

istence by any act of ours, it is a

reality,"

the truth," and is altogether

independent of us. The realisation of

the non-existence of all that seems

opposed to this truth is a new con-

sciousness and not an act. Man s

liberation is in no way related to his

acts. .In so far as acts promote the

realisation of our utter inability to

emancipate ourselves from conditioned

existence, they are of use ; after this

stage is realised acts become obstacles

rather than helps. Those who work in

obedience to Divine commands, know

ing that the power thus to work is

a gift of God, and no part of man s


self-conscious nature, attain to freedom

from the need of action. Then the pure

heart is filled by the truth, and identity

with the Deity is perceived. A man

must first get rid of the idea that

he himself really does anything, know

ing that all actions take place in the"

three natural qualities/T

and not in

the soul at all. Then he must place all

his actions on devotion. That is, sacri

fice all his actions to the Supreme and

not to himself. He must either set

himself up as the God to whom he

sacrifices, or the other real God

Ishvara ; and all his acts and aspira

tions are done either for himself or for

the All. Here comes in the importance1i.e. ,

the three guna?,

FOR DAILY LIEE 107

of motive. For if he performs great

deeds of valour, or of benefit to man, or

acquires knowledge so as to assist man,

and is moved to that merely because

he thus thinks he will attain salvation,

he is only acting for his own benefit,

and is therefore sacrificing to himself.

Therefore he must be devoted inwardly

to the All ; knowing that he is not the

doer of the actions, but the mere wit

ness of them. As he is in a mortal bodyhe is affected by doubts which will

spring up. When they do arise, it is

because he is ignorant about something.

He should therefore be able to disperse

doubt"

by the sword of knowledge."

For if he has a ready answer to some

doubt he disperses that much, All


doubts come from the lower nature, and

never in any case from the higher

nature. Therefore as he becomes more

and more devoted he is able to know

more and more clearly the knowledge

residing in his Sattva (goodness) nature.

For it says :

" A man who is perfected

in devotion (or who persists in its culti

vation) finds spiritual knowledge sponta

neously in himself in progress of

time." Also," A man of doubtful mind

enjoys neither this world nor the other

(the Deva world), nor final beatitude."

The last sentence is to destroy the idea

that if there is in us this Higher Self it

will, even if we are indolent and doubt

ful, triumph over the necessity for

knowledge and lead us to final beatitude

FOR DAILY LIFE 109

in common with the whole stream of

mankind. 1

True prayer is the contemplation of

all sacred things, of their application to

ourselves, our daily life and actions,

accompanied by the most heartfelt and

intense desire to make their influence

stronger and our lives better and

nobler, that some knowledge of them

may be vouchsafed to us. All such

thoughts must be closely interwoven

with a consciousness of the Supremeand Divine Essence from which all

things have sprung.2

Spiritual culture is attained through

concentration. It must be continued

1Path, July 89, p. 109.

2Path, Aug. 89, p. 159.


daily and every moment to be of use.

Meditation has been defined as"

the

cessation of active external thought."

Concentration is the entire life-tendency

to a given end. For example, a devoted

mother is one who consults the interests

of her children and all branches of their

interests in and before all things ; not

one who sits down to think fixedly

about one branch of their interests all

the day. Thought has a self-reproduc

tive power, and when the mind is held

steadily to one idea it becomes coloured

by it, and, as we may say, all the cor

relates of that thought arise within the

mind. Hence the mystic obtains know

ledge about any object of which he

thinks constantly in fixed contemplation.

FOR DAILY LIFE 111

Here is the rationale of Krishna s

words." Think constantly of me ;

depend on me alone, and thou shalt

surely come to me" Life is the great

teacher : it is the great manifestation

of Soul, and Soul manifests the

Supreme. Hence all methods are good,

and all are but parts of the great aim,

which is Devotion."

Devotion is

success in actions," says the BhagavadGita. The psychic powers, as they

come, must also be used, for they

reveal laws. But their value must not

be exaggerated, nor must their danger be

ignored. He who relies on them is like

a man who gives way to pride and

triumph because he has reached the


first wayside station on the peaks he

has set out to climb,1

VI

IT is an eternal law that man cannot be

redeemed by a power external to him

self. Had this been possible, an angel

might long ago have visited the earth,

uttered heavenly truths, and, by mani

festing the faculties of a spiritual

nature, proved a hundred facts to the

consciousness of man of which he is

ignorant.2

Crime is committed in the Spirit as

truly as in the deeds of the body. He

1 Path, July 89, p. 111.

?Spirit of the New Testament, p. 508.

FOR DAiLY LIFE il3

who for any cause hates another, who

loves revenge, and will not forgive an

injury, is full of the spirit of murder,

though none may know it. He who

bows before false creeds, and crushes

his conscience at the bidding of any

institution, blasphemes his own divine

soul, and therefore"

takes the name of

God in vain"

though he never utters an

oath. He who desires and is in sym

pathy with the mere pleasures of sense,

either in or out of the married relation,

is the real adulterer. He who deprives

any of his fellows of the light, the

good, the help, the assistance he can

wisely give them, and lives for the

accumulation of material things, for his

own personal gratification, is the real

114 SOMEiPRACTICALSUGGESTIOlsfg

robber ; and he who steals from his

fellows the precious possession of

character by slander, and any sort of

misrepresentation, is no less a thief,

and one of the most guilty kind. 1

If men were only honest with them

selves and kindly disposed towards

others, a tremendous change would

take place in their estimate of the value

of life, and of the things of this life,3 -

DEVELOP THOUGHT. Strive, by

concentrating the whole force of your

soul, to shut the door of your mind to

all stray thoughts, allowing none to

enter but those calculated to reveal to

you the unreality of sense-life, and the

1Spirit of the New Testament, p. 513.

2"

Theosophist, July 89, p. 590.

FOft DAILY LIFE US

Peace of the Inner World. Ponder day

and night over the unreality of all your

surroundings and of yourself. The

springing up of evil thoughts is less

injurious than that of idle and in

different ones. B.ecause . as to evil

thoughts you are always ,on your guard,

and, having determined to fight and

conquer them, this determination helps

to - develop the will power. Indifferent

thoughts, however, serve merely to .dis

tract the attention and waste energy..

The first great basic delusion you have

to get over is the identification of yourself with the physical body. Begin to

think of this body as nothing better

than the house you have to live in for a

time, and then you will ne^ver yield to


its temptations. Try also with con

sistent attempts to conquer the promi

nent weaknesses of your nature by

developing thought in the direction that

will kill each particular passion. After

your first efforts you will begin to feel

an indescribable vacuum and blankness

in your heart ; fear not, but regard this

as the soft twilight heralding the rise

of the sun of Spiritual bliss. Sadness

is not an evil. Complain not ; what

seem to be sufferings and obstacles are

often in reality the mysterious efforts of

nature to help you in your work if you

can manage them properly. Look upon

all circumstances with the gratitude

of a pupil.1 All complaint is a rebellion

lTheosophicdl Si/tings, No. 3, vol. 2, 89.

FOR DAILY LIFE

against the law of progress. That which

is to be shunned is pain not yet come.

The past cannot be changed or amend

ed ; that which belongs to the experi

ences of the present cannot and should

not be shunned ; but alike to be shun

ned are disturbing anticipations or fears

of the future, and every act or impulse

that may cause present or future pain

to ourselves or others.1

. VII

THERE is no more valuable thing pos

sessed by any individual than an ex

alted ideal towards which he continually

aspires, and after which he moulds his

1Patanjali s Yoga Aphorisms.


thoughts and feelings, and forms, as

best he may, his life. If he thus strives

to become rather than to seem, he can

not fail to continually approach nearer

his aim. He will not, however, reach

this point without a struggle, nor will

the real progress that he is conscious

of making fill him with conceit or self-

righteousness.; for if his ideal be high,

and his progress towards it real, he will

be the rather humiliated than puffed

up. The possibilities of further advance

ment, and the conception of still higher

planes of being that opea before him,

will not dampen his ardour, though they

will surely kill his conceit. It is just

this conception of the vast possibilities

of human life that is needed to kill out

FOR CAIL? LIFE

ennui, and to convert apathy into zest.

Life thus becomes worth living for its

own sake when its mission becomes

plain, and its splendid opportunities

are once appreciated. The most direct

and certain way of reaching this higher

plane is the cultivation of the principle

of altruism, both in thought and life.

Narrow indeed is the sweep of vision

that is limited to self, and that measures

all .things by the principle of self-inter

est, for while the soul is thus self limi

ted it is impossible for it to conceive of

any high ideal, or to approach any

higher plane of life. The conditions of

such advancement lie within rather than

without, and are fortunately made inde

pendent of circumstances and condition


in life. The opportunity therefore is

offered to everyone of advancing from

height to height of being, and of thus

working with nature in the accomplish1

ment of the evident purpose of life.1

If we believe that the object of life is

simply to render our material self satis

fied, and to keep it in comfort, and that

material comfort confers the highest

state of possible happiness, we mistake

the low for the high, and an illusion for

the truth. Our material mode of life

is a consequence- of the material con

stitution of our bodies. We are" worms

of the earth"

because we cling with all

our aspirations to earth. If we can

enter upon a path of evolution, by which

1 Man, J. Buck, p. 106*

FOR DAILY LIFE 121

we become less material and more

ethereal, a very different order of civi

lisation would be established. Thingswhich now appear indispensable and

necessary would cease to be useful ; if

we could transfer our consciousness

with the velocity of thought from

one part of the globe to another, the

present modes of communication would

be no longer required. The deeper we

sink into matter, the more material

means for comfort will be needed ; the

essential and powerful god in man is

not material, and independent of the

restrictions laid upon matter. Whatare the real necessities of life ? The

answer to this question depends entirely

on what we imagine to be necessary.


Railways, steamers, etc., are now a

necessity to us, and $7et millions of

people have lived long and happily,

knowing nothing about them. To one

man a dozen palaces may appear to be

an indispensable necessity, to another

a carriage, another a pipe, and so on.

But all such necessities are only such

as man himself has created. Theymake the state in which man now is

agreeable to him, and tempt him to

remain in that state, and to desire

nothing higher. They may even hinder

his development instead of advancing

it. Everything material must cease to

become a necessity if we would really

advance spiritually. It is the craving

and the wasting of thought for the

FOR DAILY LIFE 123

augmentation of the pleasures of the

lower life which prevent man entering

the higher one.1

1

Magic, Hartmann, p. 61.

Printed by C. Subbarayuduat the Vasanta Press, Adyar, Madras.

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i 40ft - The Eye | Front Page · 2019. 9. 27. · OCCULTISM 9 thegoodhedesires, often without even apparently lifting afinger. Moreover, there isoneimportant fact withwhich thestudent